Hyped all around as an NFL-ready prodigy after his Heisman Trophy runner-up
finale at Stanford, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft had a less-than
celebratory debut when his Indianapolis Colts were routed, 41-21, last Sunday
in Chicago.

Luck gets a second chance at a first impression this week in front of the home
folks, who'll no doubt come out in droves to see the new-look Colts host the
Minnesota Vikings at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It's the Colts' second consecutive home opener without Peyton Manning, who
spent 2011 under contract on the sidelines, but is now plying his Canton-bound
trade and winning games with the Denver Broncos.

In his absence is Luck, who was picked off three times, sacked on three
occasions and lost a fumble in the 20-point loss at Soldier Field, in spite of
passing for 309 yards and one touchdown.

"That's definitely the thing I thought about (Sunday) night, (Monday) morning,
after the film again -- four turnovers," Luck said. "You can't have that,
especially when all four of them are on you."

Speaking of sacks, 2011 league-leader Jared Allen arrives with the Vikings,
which prompted the Colts to bolster their offensive line by signing ex-Steeler
Trai Essex and tackle Bradley Sowell during the week. Their additions were
necessitated by the uncertain status of starting right tackle Winston Justice,
who left the Week 1 loss with a concussion.

Indianapolis also could have a gap on defense, where linebacker Dwight Freeney
is questionable with a sprained left ankle suffered early against the Bears.
His first-week slowdown didn't help first-year head coach Chuck Pagano's
cause, as the Colts allowed 114 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the
ground.

The Colts' 3-4 unit probably looks like a collective bull's-eye to longtime
Vikings standout Adrian Peterson, who returned from a torn ACL and MCL to run
for 84 yards and two scores on 17 carries in Minnesota's season-opening 26-23
overtime win over Jacksonville.

Peterson, who was injured in December, returned in just eight months and
became the team's all-time leading rusher with 6,836 yards during the contest.

"I think we still have to be somewhat cautious," Frazier said. "Now Adrian
won't want to hear that, but we still have to keep a rotation going between he
and (fellow running back) Toby (Gerhart)."

Peterson's rebound helps ease the burden on second-year quarterback Christian
Ponder, who completed 20-of-27 passes for 270 yards and no interceptions
against Jacksonville. The Florida State product led the team on a 32-yard
drive in the final minute of regulation to set up a game-tying 55-yard field
goal from rookie Blair Walsh, who was rewarded with NFC Special Teams Player
of the Week honors.

"We are a young team, but we're growing up," Ponder said. "We have the right
guys in place where we can have the mindset where if we are behind, or if
things aren't going well, we can overcome it."

Ponder has a prime target in Percy Harvin, who had 192 all-purpose yards
against the Jaguars. On the other side, Colts receiver Reggie Wayne caught
nine passes for 135 yards against Chicago.

Wayne now has 11,905 career receiving yards and is 62 yards shy of 20th place
on the NFL's all-time list in that category.

Among Luck's other potential targets, wide receiver Austin Collie was cleared
to practice this week after suffering a concussion on Aug. 19.

Notes: Vikings are 0-10 all-time against the Colts on the road, with two
of those losses taking place in Indianapolis (2001, 2004) and one coming in
the 1968 NFL Championship Game, a 24-14 victory by the Baltimore Colts.
Minnesota last bested the Colts via a 39-28 verdict at the Metrodome on Dec.
21, 1997, capping a string of five straight home wins by the Vikings in the
series. Frazier served as an assistant with Indianapolis from 2005-06.

In three career starts against AFC foes, Ponder has 862 passing yards (287.3
per game) with five touchdowns. Last week, he reached 2,000 passing yards for
his career (2,123). Since entering the NFL in 2007, Peterson leads the league
with 6,836 rushing yards and 66 touchdowns on the ground, and passed Robert
Smith for the most rushing yards in franchise history during last week's win.
In Minnesota's last meeting against Indianapolis, Peterson rushed for 160
yards, and he has eight games with 160 or more since 2007, the most in the NFL
over that span. Harvin has 20 catches for 313 yards (104.3 per game) and three
touchdowns in his past three games against AFC opponents. He scored a rushing
touchdown, a receiving touchdown and a kick return touchdown in both 2010 and
2011 - the only player in league to do so - and is only one in the NFL with a
kick return score in each of the past three seasons (2009-11). Rookie kicker
Walsh had four field goals in all against Jacksonville, including the game-
tying 55-yarder and a game-winning 38-yarder in overtime.

On defense for the Colts, Freeney is a monster when he's available. The
veteran has 102 1/2 career sacks, the third-most among active players behind
only Atlanta's John Abraham (113) and Minnesota's Jared Allen (105). Freeney
has three sacks in two career games against Minnesota as well. Fellow outside
linebacker Robert Mathis posted his 18th career game with two or more sacks
last week, and inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman returned an interception for
a touchdown in his NFL debut last week.

WHEN THE COLTS HAVE THE BALL

Luck passed for 309 yards in his NFL debut, the third-most among rookie
passers in a season opener in league history. Running back Donald Brown has
averaged 5.1 yards per carry in his past four games against the NFC and had an
18-yard rushing touchdown last week. As previously noted, Wayne needs 62
receiving yards to surpass Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (11,904) for No. 20 on
the all-time receiving yards list. He posted a 39th career game with 100 or
more receiving yards last week. Fellow wide receiver and offseason acquisition
Donnie Avery had a touchdown catch in his Colts' debut last week, while first-
year tight end Coby Fleener (second round) led all NFL rookies in catches
(six) and ranked second in receiving yards (82) in Week 1.

For Minnesota, Allen has 32 sacks in his past 26 games, including 20 1/2 in
his past 15. Since entering the NFL in 2004, he has an NFL-best 105 sacks as
well, with that total the second-most by an active player. Cornerback Antoine
Winfield had an interception in Minnesota's last meeting with the Colts and
has four picks in his career against Indianapolis, his most against a single
opponent.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

When the record books are written in a decade or two, most assume Luck will
have a place far above Ponder's. But it might not matter for the Colts this
week unless the offensive line congeals enough to offset Allen and his pass-
rushing mayhem-makers. On offense, a resurgent Peterson is one of the league's
elites, and Harvin's pretty good, too. In the end -- and in spite of what
appears like prodigious potential for Indianapolis' young passer -- it seems
the Vikings simply have more talent here and now.